Actionwriter

*Old stuff*

Summer jobs are supposed to be fleeting. A quick way of making some money and today, while assisting one of my students in the seemingly impossible task of typing up an essay on Oedipus Rex, I became mesmerized by her very diligent and patient one finger typing method. And it reminded me of the typewriter that my dad used to force my siblings and I to use while working for the summer at his office. It was the bane of my existence. Seriously. I don’t know its origins, or how it came to be in the office, but it sits on the desk next to the computer. It’s such a weird juxtaposition of past and present. You know how shotguns have a kick that propels you backwards? This typewriter has a related kick. Maybe because it's called the Actionwriter (IBM). Anyways, you can be typing away (very carefully, because there's no backspace button) and it will suddenly kick and the next letter that you type will be 2 inches below the rest of the previously typed letters. So you have to proceed with caution. I do the one finger typing and leave a respectful pause in between each keystroke. Actionwriter would always manage to get me though, just as I was getting cocky enough to rest two fingers on its buttons. And I would be forced to destroy a perfectly nice, watermarked envelope. Thankfully I've made friends with the paper shredder. It destroys all of my mistakes. And when I'm bored I shred different colored paper just to see the rainbow of confetti. This got a little out of hand.